Skip the Straw

The SKIP THE STRAW campaign is your opportunity to reduce single-use plastic waste by refusing to accept a straw. Next time you order a drink at your favorite food establishment, simply say:

"NO STRAW, PLEASE!"

By refusing a straw, you are recognizing that every small action leads to one big solution. Together, we can get single-use plastics out of the waterways and the waste stream, reduce plastic pollution, and help build a cleaner and healthier future for Fremont.

Every day, Americans use close to 500 million disposable plastic straws - that's enough straws to circle the Earth 2.5 times! Since most plastic straws cannot be recycled and take up to 200 years to decompose, it is clear that we need to reduce our straw consumption patterns. Learn more about the environmental impacts of plastic straws at TheLastPlasticStraw.org(link is external).

If you’re finding it difficult to skip the straw, an easy solution is to keep a reusable straw with you. Options include straws made out of stainless steel, bamboo, hard plastic, or even glass. By going reusable, you won’t be contributing to the millions of plastic straws found on U.S. coastlines every year. Alternatives like compostable paper straws are also available, but less preferable since they are manufactured and then discarded after one use.

To address the straw pollution problem on a statewide level, Governor Jerry Brown signed AB 1884(link is external), a California bill that prohibits sit-down restaurants from offering plastic straws except upon request. The law goes into effect January 2019, which makes California the first to restrict plastic straw consumption at a statewide level!

At a local level, the City of Fremont is encouraging you to SKIP THE STRAW and become more aware of your personal impact on the environment. We understand that shifting your lifestyle is not easy, but don't let the magnitude of the plastics problem discourage you. Changing personal behavior is a trial and error process. It should become easier as time goes on and as your fellow community members take on the same action.